From a one-day event, Cali Roots quickly became a festival—with some familiar faces.

On May 29, 2010, the Eurovision Song Contest wrapped up in Norway, with “Satellite” by the German entry Lena named the winner. In Portugal, authorities renamed a small town park in honor of B.B. King. “OMG” by Usher and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” were heating up the Billboard Top 100.

Dave Faries here, adding that on that particular Saturday in Monterey, The Dirty Heads and Tribal Seeds headlined a new event at the fairgrounds. California Roots Music & Art Festival featured 21 bands, gathered for a single day dedicated to reggae.

Organizers must have realized they had struck a chord. Cali Roots returned in 2011, this time with 26 performers over two days. A year later, the festival attracted 34 bands, expanding to three days in 2013. By then, Tribal Seeds were listed third-tier on the bill.

It’s likely that the entertainment world took little notice of Cali Roots in May of 2010. Since then, however, the event has become more than a fixture on the global music calendar. It’s a celebration of color and style, of cannabis and cool, of environmental efforts and of merchandise. And always, there is the music.

Rebelution and Iration made their first appearance in 2011. J-Boog was added to the bill a year later. Regulars Slightly Stoopid and Collie Budz, along with Stick Figure joined the party in 2013. Reggae royalty—the Marleys, Ziggy and Damian—crowned Cali Roots the following May. 

Along the way, organizers have experimented with the lineup. Ice Cube has performed, as has Wu-Tang Clan. But reggae has always been the core, even when it is bolstered by metal, rock, jazz or other influences. In 2018, when the hip-hop duo Atmosphere made their first trip to the festival, it was Tash Sultana who electrified the crowd.

This morning, Monterey’s Sensory Tribe opens the final day of music. It is the band’s first time at Cali Roots, and they are excited. Josh Heinrichs and Cydeways follow. The festival has always introduced talented performers to a larger audience. The John Dank Show, wildly popular in Guam, takes the stage at 2pm this afternoon.

Tonight, the 2025 edition wraps up with some big hitters: T-Pain, Soja and—as on that day in May, 15 years ago—Dirty Heads.

If you attended, what was your festival highlight?